Author Interview: Kate J. Squires

Kate J. Squires is an Australian author with a recent ebook release through Harlequin Escape, and two coming with Momentum. She also writes as Blondeanddangerous on Wattpad, which is a platform I had no idea about but for avid readers it is definitely worth checking out.

Hi Kate and welcome to Beauty and Lace, thanks for talking to us.

My pleasure! Most writers like to talk about the imaginary people in their heads – and I’m no different.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer and what made you pursue a writing career?

I wrote my first story at twelve – a truly atrocious tale called “Black Train Caboose,” a romance about a train gang and the girl who falls in love with their leader. It was so badly written (even for a twelve year old) but it started me on the journey! I love stories – especially stories about love – and I’m lucky to have had opportunities to tell tales in different ways throughout my career.

You have had quite a diverse job history, what position was the most memorable?

Working for Disney was fun – I spent time on board the Disney Magic, a cruise ship on the Caribbean, where we spent the days entertaining the masses, and the nights entertaining ourselves. I also loved the years working around dolphins and seals at a marine park – which is where I met my husband who was a dolphin trainer at the time. That’s another story right there!

You are an award winner on Wattpad, can you tell us a little about what it is and how you win a Watty’s Award?

The Watty awards are free to enter, and they are open every year for anyone who has a story posted on Wattpad. They aren’t judged by popularity, but on merit, and the HQ team at Wattpad are very serious about the quality of the work they choose to reward. As far as the prize goes, it’s mostly about the bragging rights, but the other opportunities I’ve been offered as a result of winning have made it hugely worthwhile.

30 Lays in 30 Days is your upcoming title with Pan MacMillan’s Momentum, can you tell us a little about it?

30 Lays was written originally for Wattpad – I wanted to create a novel with sex in every chapter, while still having variety in the scenes. The signature of my Watty stories are cliff-hangers – because I post my work there in serial form, it helps to hook people to come back for the next chapter!

What inspired you to write 30 Lays in 30 Days?

Part of my inspiration was purely selfish – I love sexy books, and it was my chance to create something hot, fun and filled with crazy experiences. The other motivation was to see if I could write an erotic romance – I’d never done it before, and I love the challenge of doing something new.

Have you actually got the list, with all 30 items on it? I only ask because they didn’t all make it into the story.

I did actually hand-write ‘The List’ to keep track of everything – you can view a copy of it on my Pinterest page for 30 Lays. In the released copy of 30 Lays, you’ll be able to see the full list as well – Cat, the heroine, actually does accomplish all thirty challenges!

(It seems everywhere I turn someone is trying to seduce me into joining up to Pinterest, I have managed to resist until now but this list may just be the final straw)

I have read 30 Lays in 30 Days and I must say I’m intrigued, can you tell us about 32 Lays Later?

Again, I never want to rest on my laurels, so I decided to go balls-out (ahem) with the sequel. It’s even hotter, and even more uninhibited. It follows Beth, Cat’s bestie from the first book as she quits her job as a nurse to become an adult film star. Let me tell you – research for writing this book was VERY interesting! I ended up watching ‘behind the scenes’ discs on some very famous porn titles, and what struck me the most was how truly excited all the stars were to be a part of the productions. They seem to have a genuine lust for the work, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Where is your favourite place to write?

I have a swinging egg chair in my room that rocks me like a baby and is filled with cushions. I can write in there with my laptop for about an hour before my neck starts to complain, but it’s worth it! For the most part, it’s me and my ergonomic chair at my desk, which I keep in the family area of my house deliberately, rather than my office, because I’d rather still be a part of the madness of our family life than locked away in a room somewhere. There’s a great opportunity to see my workspace on the 25th of July, when I take part in the “Where I Write” live broadcast.

Do you plot or let your characters drive the story?

Plot first – all my stories are ‘what if’ based. What if you got divorced while you were still young and attractive, and threw caution to the wind to experiment sexually? What if there was a reality show based around sex? What if you became an adult film star?
The characters develop organically based on their situations. I’m a big fan of writing diverse characters – I like to throw in a bunch of different nationalities and personality types. One of my favourite characters to write from both 30 Lays and 32 Lays Later was Ari, the middle-eastern adult film producer. Exotic, intense, and with muscles for days – yum.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m in love with my fellow Momentum author, S.A. Gordon’s books, The Young Royals. Who doesn’t love romance and royals?

Are you working on anything new you can share with us?

I’m splitting my time between writing my commercial fiction novel, which will be print published under an open pseudonym next year with Pan Macmillan, and exploring ideas for the third novel in The List series.
In between, I’m doing my best to keep a story or two going for free on Wattpad, to reward the people who’ve supported my career to this point. If you’re into dolphins and millionaires, check out my free story Ocean Eyes on Wattpad – just search for my username, BlondeAndDangerous!

About Michelle

My blurb went missing... so now I have to bring you a new one. One that is a little broader too.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years I have broadened my horizons considerably.
I inhale music, hair metal that satisfies my inner bogan is where my musical passion lies, but again I've been exposed to lots of different music I wouldn't normally listen to and have broadened those horizons also.

In a nutshell - I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews.
Perhaps we were perfect before - I LOVE WORDS! Reading, writing, speaking, listening - if it's got words I'm there!